Oil-indicator.



UNITED STATES PATENT oFFi cE,

onns'rnn M. DOWELL, or non'rmc'nnnc, INDIANA.

" oIL-InmcA'ron.

To all w hom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cn ns'riin M. Downnn, a clt-igen of' the United States, residing at IIuntnigburg, in thej county of Duboieankt State of" Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil-Indicators, ,of which the following is a specification;

' The present invention provides;a .device for indicating the level oft-he oil'in a tank,

reservoir or compartment or for showing the height of gasolene or other hydrocarbon conta ned in a tank for supplying the liquid fuel to an engine of the internal combustion type, said device containinga liquid, which latter; is controlled by atmospheric pressure. 1 The invention contemplates a body hav-.

ing a passage of approximately U fonnzand constitutinga trap, asight tube fitted to one end of said U shaped passage and an air tube connected with the other end of the passage and with the, tank, receptacle or compartment for containing the "liquid whose level is to be determined.

The invention consists of-the novel features', details of construction and combina? tion of parts, which hereinafter will be more partlcularly' set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, an'd pointed out in the appended claim.

Referring to theJdrawingftorming a part of the specification, Itigure l is a detail view, showing the application of the inventioni Fig. 2 1s a front view of the indicator. Fig. 3 is a.section of the indicator on the 5 line 13- 09 of Fig-=2;

to a suitable support. A tubular extension 3 projects from one side of the plate at an acute angle thereto.- A hollow projection 4- r is formed upon the opposite side of the plate and is arranged substantially parallel therewith. The openings formed in the tubular extension 3'and in the hollow projection 4 constitute the, U shaped passage here1nbefore referred to and which constitutes the trapv for containinia liquid to form the in' dicatin means. projection 5 is formed upon the same side of the plate 2 as the Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed r br r ms, 191a. seritnnb. 680,391.

hollow projection 4 is spaced therefrom, I

4 PatentedNovfi, 1 912. 1

:said' projections land li being recessed in x their inner or. opposing sides to receive a sight tube 6. Washers 7 are located inthe recesses of the projections and 5to insure I aclose joint betweensaid parts andthe ends of the sighttube 6. A plug 7 is threaded into the projection 5 and exerts an endwise pressure upon-the sightitube to retain the same in place and to press the washers 7 to such an extent as to maintain a close joint between the ends of'the sight tube and the projections land 5. Asvent opening 8 is formed-in the plug 7 to admit of. ingress and egress of air in the operation of the indicator. The liquid'forming the indicating -meansissupplied to the U shaped passage I andis adapted to-rise'in the sight tube 6 proportionate? to the pressure exerted upon one end there The indicator 1s secured to which mthe present instance-1s shown as consisting of the dash 9 of an automobile,

the indicator being arranged so that the sight tube faces the operator and having' the extension 3 passing through on opening formed in the dash." A tube 10 connects the tubular extension 3 with the compartment 11 containing the liquid, the level of which is to be determined. :The compart Incnt- 11 may be a tanki reservoir or other.

container for receiving the liquid. As illustrated the compartment 11 consists of the crank 'caseof ,an automobile motor, said crank case containing the oilfor lubricating the support the bearings, connecting rods and like parts;

usually oiled by the splash system. The part of the.

tube 10 connects with the lowest compartment 11. Upon supply ng oil to the "coinpartment ll the lower endof the. tube 10 connected therewith is sealed and as the level of the oil rises in the compartment, the air confined in the tube,10 between the liquid in the U shaped passage 1 and the oil contained in the compartment 11 is com presscd, thereby exerting a pressure upon move solthat its opposite end will appear to the compartment'll and the level thereof one end of the liquid contamed in the U. shaped passage and causing said liquid to in the sight tube 6. As the oil issupplied rises the pressure. exerted on the air confined in the tube 10 increases, thereby causing the liquid c'ontained'in the U shaped passage lgtorise" in the sight'tube. When the engine is in operation and the oil is coni sumed in the compartment 11 the pressure the oil in'the crank case,

taken in connection onthe air confined in-the tube decreases,

tank of-an automobile engine so that the operator may be duly warned when the oil is. at a low level. The device is of such construction as to admit of its being located in convenient position so as to be at all times under observation, it being observed that the indicator may be arranged at any point above thefilevel of the compartment or other container holding the oil or liquid, the level of whichis to be determined. In order that the amount of oil or other liquid held 'in the tank, container or receptacle may be approximately determined it is proposed to supply the plate 2 with a gage adjacent the sight tube 6 and this gage may be graduated to designate pints, quarts and gallons.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be'r'eadily apparent to-those skilled in'the art to which 4 Having thus' described the invention what is claimed as new, is

An indicator of the character set forth comprising a plate, a tubular extension at one side of the plate arranged relatively at an acute angle thereto, a hollow projection upon the opposite side openings of the tubular hollow projection bein extension and the in communication to form a passage of siibstantially U shapef said plate having a projection upon the same side with the hollow projection and spaced therefrom, a sight tube arrangedbetwcen and a plug threaded 5 the said projections, into the upper projection and adapted to confine the sight tube and formed with a 'vent opening.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHESTER M. DOWELL. Witnesses W. H. FISHER, W. C. BRETZ.

scope of the claimof said plate, the 

